Safety device for rotated shafts



March 1951 R. A. ASHTON SAFETY DEVICE FOR ROTATED SHAFTS Filed Nov. 8, 1947 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 27, 1951 UNITED STATES I PATENT OFFlCE to Seneca "Falls Machine Company,

Seneca Falls, N. Y., a corporation of Massachusetts I Application November 8, 1947, Serial No. 784,817

.vide a safety device by which such dangerous applications of a hand crank is rendered impossible.

In the preferred form, such application of the "crank is'prevented when the shaft is in rotation either in a forward or a reverse direction.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a sectional plan view of mechanism embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional end elevation, taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are detail views illustrating the operation of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, I have shown a driven shaft II] which may be rotated from a driving shaft II through a clutch I2. The clutch I2, when in the position shown in Fig. l, connects the driving shaft II to the driven shaft Ill through a gear I4, idle gear l5, and pinion I6 for rotation in a backward direction. If the clutch I2 is shifted to the right in Fig. l, the clutch will connectthe driving shaft I I to theidriven shaft I0 through a pinion I1 and gear I8; for forward rotation; "1-; 1'

The clutch I2 is keyed to the driving shaft II and the {shaft I I is provided with agrooved collar 20 engaged by a clutch pin 2| in Za shift lever 22 pivoted :at 23 and movable manually by a handle 24. By shifting the handle 24, the clutch I2 may be placed in neutral or mid-position or may be caused toengage either the gear I 4 or the pinion II. A grooved collar 30 is mounted on the shaft II and is} axially movable therewith.

The reduced portion 50 (Fig. f the driven shaft ID 'KFig. 1) is provided wit cross-pin 40 (Fig. 4), and a hand crank 42 is slidable axially in a guide sleeve 44 mounted in alignment with the driven shaft Ill. The hand crank 42 is notched as indicated at 46 and isrecessed as indicated at 41, so that the crank may he slipped 3 Claims. (01. 74625) over the reduced end portion 59 of the driven shaft I0, and with the notch 46 engaging the cross-pin 40.

A grooved collar 52 (Fig. 3) is keyed on the reduced portion 5E! of the driven shaft I!) and is notched at 53 to fit over the cross-pin 40. When the collar 52 is in the left-hand position shown in Figs. 1., 3 and 5, the collar engages the end of the hand crank 42 and prevents the hand crank from contacting the cross-pin 40.

The grooved collar 52 is engaged by a yoke 60 (Fig. 2) which is secured on a plunger 62 by clamping screws 63. The plunger 62 is slidable in a fixed frame member 64 (Fig. 1) and. is provided with a spring 65 which tends to shift the collar 52 to the right or to inoperative position.

The plunger 62 is engaged by a lug I0 (Fig. 1) On a bell crank II which is mounted on a fixed stud 12. A second lug I5 on the crank 1| engages the sliding collar 30 previously described.

When the handle 24, collar 30 and clutch I2 are in mid position, the lug I5 will seat in the groove 30a of the collar 30, and the spring 65 will be free to withdraw the collar 52 to the position shown in Fig. 4, thus permitting the hand crank to be applied.

If, however, the handle 24, collar 30 and clutch I2 are shifted from mid position in either direction, the lug I5 will be raised by one or the other of the flanges of the collar 30 to the position shown in Fig. 1, thus preventing the spring I5 from moving the collar 52 to inoperative position. It is then impossible to engage the hand crank with the cross-pin 40.

Simple and effective provision is thus made for preventing application of the hand crank when the driven shaft I0 is in rotation in either direction. 7

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a machine, a driven and rotated shaft, a hand crank slidably mounted on said shaft, means on said driven shaft engageable by said hand crank to turn said shaft, safety means slidable axially on said driven shaft to safety and release positions and permanently associated with said shaft-and preventing operative turning engagement of said hand crank with said driven shaft when said safety means is in safety position, a member operatively associated with said safety means and effective to shift said safety means axially 'to said safety position, means to return said safety means to release position, a device movable axially to control the application of power to rotate said driven shaft, manual means to move said control device to cause power to be applied to said driven shaft, and a part movable with said control device and coacting with said member and through which part movement of said manual means and said control device to apply power to rotate said driven shaft also moves said member to shift said safety means to safety position and to thereby prevent engagement of said hand crank f with said driven shaft.

2. In a machine, a driven and rotated shaft, a hand crank slidably mounted on said shaft, means on said driven shaft engageable by said hand crank to turn said shaft, safety means slidable axially on said driven-shaft to safety and release positions and permanently associated" with said shaft and preventing operative turn-,5

ing engagement of said hand crank with said driven-shaft when said safety means is in safety position, a member operatively associated'with said safety means and effective to shift said safety means axially to said safety position,

means to return said safety means to release position, a device movable axially to control the application of power to rotate said driven shaft 'in forward and reverse directions, manual means to move said control device selectively to cause power to be applied to said driven shaft, and a part movable withisaid control device and coacting with said member and through which part movement of said manual means and said con- "trol 'device to apply power to rotate said driven shaft in either direction also moves said mempositions and having an annular center groove, and a lever movable by said collar to shift said safety sleeve relative to said shaft and to thereby render said Sleeve operative to prevent engage- ;ment of said hand crank with said driven shaft Whenever said lever is displaced from said center groove by axial movement of said collar by said controldevi'ce from mid-position toward extrerneposition in either direction and said driven shaft is in rotation.

A. ASHTON.

' REFERENCES one!) The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,477,480 Groene Wiggins, Dec, ll, 192,3 1,4 3 Ryder via- June 17, 1924 ,5 5,854 Hammon May 5 1926 1,537,4 mpbe June 1, 192.6 1,759,650 Littler May 20, .1930

. 1 7 2,926 Littler June. 1,0..1

.wiihim i uana- July, .16 134,6 

